Chamber of Commerce Newsletter. planned, however, the weather

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1 Chamber of Commerce Newsletter A PUBLICATION OF THE LAKE ALFRED CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Executive Director Marilyn February 2018 Edition Bluegrass Bash The Bluegrass Bash was all planned, however, the weather January 13, 2018 didn t cooperate. The winds were around 18 mph and temperatures in the mid 50 s. The people in attendance enjoyed the music along with some great BBQ and other foods. They were wrapped in coats, blankets, heavy socks & anything else to stay warm. The parking lot was full and cars were parked along Lake Haines Blvd. The Parks & Recreation crew did a great job shuttling people back & forth to the cars. Estimates put the crowd over 1,000. They came to listen to the music and enjoy the BBQ. Most did not stay all day, but they enjoyed what they heard. They will be back next year for more music and food. The Lake Alfred Chamber of Commerce 3 rd Annual Hoedown will be at the Lake Alfred Lions Clubhouse at 175 N Nekoma Ave, Lake Alfred (Lions Park) from 7 pm to 10 pm on February 2, Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce Office, CenterState Bank or at the door. Food from restaurants around Lake Alfred, a cash bar and silent auction.

2 Breakfast & Business at Side Street Cafe Please join us on February 22, 2018, at 8 AM for a program by Citrus Connection. This will detail the current & future plans of public transit in Polk County. More details will follow. Side Street Café will be the location.

3 BayCare Urgent Care Opens in Winter Haven Winter Haven, Fla., (January 03, 2017) First Care Winter Haven, the original and first urgent care clinic in Winter Haven, made its transition as BayCare Urgent Care on Dec. 29, BayCare Health System recently assumed full operation of First Care Winter Haven. This center, located on 400 First Street North, Winter Haven, has served the community of Winter Haven for more than 12 years. Now BayCare Urgent Care, the center will continue its commitment to the community and provide high quality and compassionate care maintaining its services, original staff and hours of operation. James Lee, MD, a board certified emergency medicine physician, will also continue to be the lead provider for the center. We re pleased to have Dr. Lee and his staff join the BayCare family, said Stephen Nierman, president of BayCare s Winter Haven Hospital. So many of our family, friends and neighbors already trust First Care Winter Haven, and they have a strong reputation for quality care, which aligns with BayCare Urgent Care. Dr. Lee founded First Care Winter Haven in He said the center s transition into BayCare Urgent Care brings renewed excitement & opportunities for the center & surrounding community. First Care Winter Haven and BayCare Urgent Care are a natural fit, Dr. Lee said. By bringing the vast resources of BayCare and keeping our original team intact, we will offer a higher quality of care to our patients and client employers while upholding our highest vision of excellence. BayCare Urgent Care in Winter Haven will be fully equipped to provide a total care experience including X-rays, laboratories, EKGs and dispensing of certain medications. The center will treat medical conditions without prior appointment including minor illnesses and injuries, flu and colds, sprains and strains, minor cuts, stings and burns. The center will also offer school & sports physicals and occupational health services including post-hire physicals, drug screenings, treatment of workplace injuries, vaccinations & corporate wellness. This is BayCare s second Urgent Care location in Polk County. The first one opened in Haines City in For more information, visit NEW BUSINESS IN TOWN

4 Protecting Yourself at the Pump Many Floridians travel to see friends and family during the holiday season, and the U.S. Department of Transportation reports that about 91 percent of long-distance holiday travel is by personal vehicle. It's imperative to take precautions against scammers aiming to profit off holiday travel. Card skimmers are small, electronic devices that capture information from the magnetic strip on credit or debit cards when swiped during a transaction. Over 900 of these skimmers have been found on gas pumps in Florida since March 2015, and individual skimmers have been found to hold as many as 100 credit card numbers. These devices were commonly attached to card readers on the outside of the pump, but some criminals now install skimmers inside the pump and use Bluetooth technology to transmit card and pin information. These devices are undetectable unless the pump is opened for maintenance or inspection. Here are a few tips that will reduce your risk of encountering skimmers at the pump: Pay inside with either cash or a credit card. Use a pre-paid cash card to pay for your gas at the pump. Do not use a pump that looks as though it has been tampered with. Use the pumps closest to the front of the station, as scammers usually place skimmers in pumps furthest out of sight. Monitor your credit and bank accounts regularly for unauthorized activity. If you identify unauthorized activity on your accounts, contact your bank or credit card company, file a report with local authorities, and consider placing a credit freeze or fraud alert on your accounts. ********* The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state's clearinghouse for consumer complaints, protection, and information. Consumers who believe fraud has taken place can contact the department's consumer protection and information hotline by calling HELP-FLA ( ) or, for Spanish speakers, FL-AYUDA ( ) l Fl d C H l Be green and keep kids safe Drop off unwanted or expired HUMAN and PET MEDICATION. Safe drop off locations are your local police department. Take back day is April 28, 2018 from 10 AM to 2 PM (Lake Alfred PD has a box available to place medications in at this time)

5 Imperial Swan Hotel & Suites 4141 S. Florida Ave, 7 th Floor Ballroom, Lakeland, (863) Come join us! Saturday, February 3 rd 11:00 am to 2:00 pm Tickets $32.00 Purchased in advance online thru our Facebook Page at Ovarian Cancer Support Group of Polk FL or Checks payable to: Ovarian Cancer Support Group of Polk FL. We are a 501(c) 3 organization. Delicious Luncheon Buffet / Fashion Show by Belk Dancing by Just Dance / Silent Auction Best Themed Hat Contest / And More Lake Alfred Polytech Academy The Administration and Staff of Lake Alfred Polytech Academy cordially invite you to attend the First Semester Awards Ceremony in the Polytech Academy Cafeteria. 5 th Grade - February 5 at 2:00 p.m. 6 th Grade - February 5 at 6:30 p.m. * 7 th Grade - February 6 at 6:30 p.m. * 8 th Grade - February 7 at 6:30 p.m. * *Students should report to cafeteria no later than 6:00 p.m.

6 Polk Visitor Center Offering Visitors Free Samples of Fresh, Local Orange Juice Davenport, FL (Jan. 11, 2018) Starting this week, visitors to Central Florida s Visitor Information Center (CFVIC) in Davenport will have a new reason to stop by free samples of locally sourced orange juice, in an expansion of an ongoing partnership between Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing (PCTSM) and Ridge Island Groves in Haines City. This initiative is the natural progression of the partnership with PCTSM that helped Ridge Island Groves become the official orange juice provider for the annual SUN n FUN International Fly in & Expo, held each April at Lakeland Linder Airport. Ridge Island Groves has partnered many times with PCTSM to provide free samples of their fresh squeezed O.J. to Detroit Tigers fans at Tigerfest in Detroit and internationally at Icelandair Mid Atlantic Tradeshow in Reykjavik, Iceland. Polk County has a long tradition of offering free samples of fresh Florida sunshine in a cup to thirsty visitors, dating back to the 1920s when tourists were just starting to discover the sunshine state. Road side stands sprung up across central Florida, with vendors hawking the official state fruit to the first generation of tourists with freedom to explore the USA by automobile. Free samples of orange juice were a perfect marketing ploy to get people to stop and purchase their wares. From the 1920s to the 1960s, citrus pioneer brothers, Alex and Norman Warren, operated six or seven fruit stands to support their roughly 1,000 acres of citrus groves. One such stand could be found on the stretch of State Road 540 leading to Cypress Gardens, Florida s very first theme park. Orange juice was the lure to get visitors to stop and purchase their produce, grown and processed near their packing house in Haines City. Ridge Island Groves has served free orange juice samples to their citrus stand customers for years, as has Florida s Natural Growers Grove House, in Lake Wales. Florida s Natural offers a variety of juice blends in their visitor center, which includes a gift shop, educational citrus displays & movie presentation that tells how grove owners work together in a cooperative, to bring Florida orange juice from trees to supermarkets locally, and around the world. CFVIC provides vacation planning ideas for residents & visiting family and friends, a souvenir gift shop & availability of discounted attraction tickets for many Central Florida attractions, including LEGOLAND Florida Resort, the Disney parks, Universal Studios, Kennedy Space Center and more. The information center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week (excluding major holidays) and located at 101 Adventure Court in Davenport (along U.S. Highway 27), a half mile south of I 4 at Exit 55. For more information, contact Justin Laferriere at **for more information see Polk Senior Games February 24 - March 12, 2018 Entries must be RECEIVED BY Friday, February 9 at 5 pm (Note that postmark date no longer applies) $10 entry fee for first event includes T-shirt, refreshments, goody bag, and health fair/closing celebration at the RP Funding Center on Monday, March 12. To receive entry booklet call or polkseniorgames@verizon.net. To print entry form or for more information visit Polk Senior Games continues to be one of the largest senior games in the country. There are a wide variety of sports & games for men and women 50 years of age and over. Everyone is encouraged to register and invite a friend or two to join you in some friendly competition.

7 Cruise Raffle! (Voucher $500.00) Choice of Carnival or Royal Caribbean You choose the date, the destinations, length of cruise, and room location. Drawing Feb 2 nd, The Lions Park Winner does not need to be present to win. Tickets 1 for $ for $ for $50

8 February 1, 2018 Lake Alfred Polytech Academy 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Come to Robotics Night and see what is happening at the school Painting Spheros Ozobots Drive Robots Makey Makey Coding show down Driving Spheros Raspberry PI Building Computers Design a robot An hour of code Free books Food Arduino Micro Controller And More Parent Involvement Nights 6:00 PM until 7:30 PM students represented by parents receive a special Gold Ticket Feb 1, 2018 Robotics Challenge Night March 15, 2018 Multi-Cultural Night April 5, 2018 Parent-Teacher Conference Night April 19, 2018 Spring Festival EDITORS CORNER The February edition of the BIZ newsletter has arrived. We thank everyone for their inputs for the three new categories, which are, Connect with the Community, Connect with Business and Connect with the Government. These categories represent the core values in our mission statement, to advance economic growth, enhance our business climate and improve the quality of life for each and every person who calls Lake Alfred home. Your newsletter is the perfect way to keep everyone in the community informed of who you are, what you do, where you do it, and how you do it! Please continue to submit articles and pass the finished product to your friends and family. Marilyn Anderson Executive Director Tickets are still available for the 3 rd Annual Hoedown on February 2, 2018, available at the Chamber of Commerce, CenterState Bank & at the door